12 months after winning the Royal Rumble, 9 months after going to war with Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania and 3 weeks after Survivor Series, The Roman Empire is now.

The symbolism behind what’s been an emotional year for Roman Reigns’s storyline this year should not be lost on anyone: He won the Royal Rumble but due to the assist from his cousin The Rock, he was forced to validate his status as #1 Contender at Fastlane. After a brutal contest with Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and won the WWE Championship. Immediately afterward, Rollins’ Championship dreams would be shelved for most of the year due to his feud with Bray Wyatt.

Ironically, Rollins’ knee injury put Reigns back in the title picture 2 months ago: After an emotional battle with his best friend Dean Ambrose at Survivor Series, Roman Reigns won the WWE Championship. 5 minutes and 15 seconds later, Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank Briefcase–the same one Bray Wyatt denied Reigns from winning months earlier at said Pay Per View event–to win the title. Things came to a head last night at TLC in Boston when due to interference from Rusev and Alberto Del Rio, Reigns was denied the title once again.

That’s when he snapped. Reigns prettymuch broke Triple H in half, forcing Vince McMahon to make his first RAW appearance in nearly a year tonight. The match was set but the penalty for losing would be steep: Reigns would be fired on the spot if he lost, McMahon sitting ringside to deliver the two words. It looked like that was exactly what was going to happen but clearly Vince McMahon underestimated Reigns’ resolve. Not only did Reigns win but he knocked out the WWE Chairman with a Superman Punch, too.

Reigns becoming the new WWE Champion comes during a time many new stables have formed in recent weeks. The League of Nations (Del Rio, Sheamus, Bad News Barrett and Rusev), Team Extreme (The Dudley Boyz, Rhyno and Tommy Dreamer) and the team of Reigns, Ambrose and The Usos are the most recent.

Reigns literally taking the fight to the McMahon Family appears to be laying the groundwork for a Reigns/Triple H Match. It’s a question of weather it will be at the Royal Rumble or Wrestlemania 32. Rollins is gone until at least June 2016 though Randy Orton may return sometime after the Royal Rumble. There’s also the possability we could see a Wrestlemania rematch between Reigns and Lesnar if it’s done right. We know Reigns can handle Lesnar in the ring so…yeah. Cena’s taking a break from in-ring action to focus on the reality TV show so the sky’s the limit.